The Lorax of Houses

“I’m the Lorax, and no one wants to hear it…”

This is a too-common refrain from Ray after a frustrating assessment or consultation. We call him the Lorax of houses because Ray speaks for the needs of the building. He doesn’t believe in short cuts, and he does believe in physics and building science. Applying these principles constitutes an investment, and is often met with pushback.

Homeowners don’t want to hear that:

• Their dream aesthetic design doesn’t make sense in the climate they are building in… even if a ‘design-builder’ or even an architect already drew it for them

• Some previous homeowner or worker made shoddy decisions which have put their home at risk

• The easiest short-term answer will have long-term consequences

Since these kinds of comments tend to be poorly received in a moment of decision-making, and when someone’s money or home is on the line, we’re going to start writing about them more generally. Maybe this is like therapy, where the concepts and tools need to be introduced when you aren’t in crisis. Then when the crisis comes, you’ll have a better chance of reaching for the right reaction. Or maybe it’s more like therapy for us. 

Either way, welcome to our blog.